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Posted on: August 18, 2016

Miguel Angel Maldonado Sentenced to 8 Months in Jail for Reckless Behavior Injuring Four People

PHOENIX— Miguel Angel Maldonado was sentenced today to eight months in jail and five years of supervised probation for his actions that led to a car crash and serious injuries to three victims in another car, and the passenger in his car. Maldonado, who was 14 at the time of the incident, was impaired by alcohol. He was tried as an adult and convicted on One Count Aggravated Assault, a Class 2 Felony and two Counts of Aggravated Assault, Class 3 Felonies.

“The defendant displayed a staggering lack of judgment and a careless disregard for the safety of others in the community, jeopardizing the lives of the victims who had the misfortune to cross his path,” said County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “This sentence doesn’t take away the impact that his decisions had on his victims, but it should serve as a lesson that there are consequences to poor choices.”

In the early morning of July 13, 2015, the defendant took his aunt's car without permission and picked up a 17-year-old friend. They stopped at a convenience store and paid someone to buy beer for them. At 4:30 a.m., the defendant drove westbound on Van Buren. He ran a red light at 67th Avenue colliding with the victims’ car, which was heading southbound through the intersection. The impact caused the victims’ vehicle to flip and a four-year-old was ejected, sustaining serious life threatening injuries. One of the two adult victims suffered head trauma and both received lacerations.

The defendant asked his 17-year-old passenger to tell police he was the one driving. Officers who responded to the scene observed signs and symptoms of impairment; the defendant’s Blood Alcohol Content was .091 - .109 within two hours of the crash.